From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Father
πατήρ
patērPatēr is father, used both for human parenthood and for a divine source or ruler.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordPatēr is father, used both for human parenthood and for a divine source or ruler.
- In StobaeusThe Homeric verses call Zeus father of humans and gods while describing human understanding as shaped by the day he brings.
- In this edition“Father” preserves the relational image; do not assume literal bodily generation in every use.
- A place to beginZeus’s paternal title accompanies his influence on human circumstances.
- English renderings
- father
Meaning
Patēr is father, used both for human parenthood and for a divine source or ruler.
Use in the book
The Homeric verses call Zeus father of humans and gods while describing human understanding as shaped by the day he brings. In the philosophical report, God as mind is father and maker of divine offspring. The paternal vocabulary marks dependence and origin, but each passage supplies a different explanatory setting.
Places to read
Translation in this edition
“Father” preserves the relational image; do not assume literal bodily generation in every use.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 28, 37. The Homeric day includes the circumstances it brings; the verse is not limited to a change in daylight.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Father
Father; father; heavenly Father; source of filial relation
Father may denote a human parent, God as the giver of creaturely and filial life, or specifically the first person of the Trinity.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordFather may denote a human parent, God as the giver of creaturely and filial life, or specifically the first person of the Trinity.
- In TraherneThe world becomes a house intelligible through its giver, and the recipient becomes heir, child, and companion.
- In this editionCapitalisation assists but does not settle interpretation.
- A place to beginGod is Father, friend, and benefactor to the reader who receives the world.
Meaning
Father may denote a human parent, God as the giver of creaturely and filial life, or specifically the first person of the Trinity. Context determines which relation is in view.
Use in the book
The world becomes a house intelligible through its giver, and the recipient becomes heir, child, and companion. Divine fatherhood therefore carries an invitation to resemblance: the child must share the Father’s generosity and delight in others. In the Trinitarian exposition, Father and Son are not interchangeable labels for a benevolent deity. Their relation is one of begetting within a shared eternal life, while the Spirit’s indwelling makes divine love active in the soul. Human fatherhood also provides a smaller-scale image of self-giving affection, though it cannot exhaust the divine relation.
Places to read
- I.16God is Father, friend, and benefactor to the reader who receives the world.
- I.39Sonship requires a great soul like the Father’s, loving others as he does.
- II.44The Son is distinguished from the Father by begetting within shared eternal glory.
- IV.56A father’s movement into danger exemplifies love that prefers the beloved’s welfare.
In this edition
Capitalisation assists but does not settle interpretation. Read “Father” with its immediate relation to Son, child, creature, or human family; these are not identical uses.